


Exposed

by KuraNova



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Best Fam, Final Fantasy XV Kink Meme, I needed this one shot, M/M, Scandal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-11-12 04:54:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11154654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuraNova/pseuds/KuraNova
Summary: A scandal occurs when the press discovers Crown Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum has been intimately involved with his best friend, a non-noble, and a man besides. Embarrassed that the deepest facets of his personal life have been publically laid bare, he’s grateful for the reassurances of his friends and family that, no matter whom he chooses to love, he won’t be thought the lesser for it.For the Kink Meme





	Exposed

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! I don't normally fill from the kink meme, but I thought this was a fun-looking prompt and wanted to give it a shot (hahaha Prompt - Prompto - Shot! Okay, I'll stop)!
> 
> Prompt:  
> I don't mind who the other person is. It could be an OC from his school. Maybe they spent the night together while at a party and then went running their mouth afterwards. Maybe it is one of the bros and the press just found out about it through illegal means (phone hacking ect).
> 
> \+ Noctis feeling humiliated that something so personal is being splashed around as news.
> 
> +++++ Comforting bros (Does slightly bloodthirsty bros count?)

Noctis was shaking when he tossed his phone onto the couch. He couldn’t  _ believe _ this had happened. They’d been so careful! Who could have possibly found out? Beyond that, who could have wanted to  _ fuck _ up his life so badly?

“Prompto is coming here?” Ignis asked from where he stood just inside Noctis’ tiny apartment kitchen. He’d been the first to hear the news story that morning, blasted all over the radio like the Prince of Lucis’ sex life was the latest fairy-tale themed frappuccino available at the local coffee chain. 

“Yeah, he’s letting his boss know and then he’ll be here.”

Ignis watched him from over the island countertop, sharp eyes saying everything while his mouth remained perfectly still.  _ You should have been more careful, Noctis _ . But he had been. He  _ had _ been!  _ They _ had been! Someone would have had to have been watching him to get all of the details referenced in that stupid tabloid news report.  

“Do you think it wise to invite him over to your home? After everything that has happened?”

Something in Noctis snapped at the suggestion that Prompto didn’t belong in his home, with him, and under his protection. He felt whitehot heat flush through his limbs, and rounded on Ignis with a snarl. “Prompto it just as much of a victim here as I am!”

Ignis, ever patient, merely held up his hands and nodded. “Of course he is. I wasn’t suggesting otherwise. I was only thinking of the sensation it would cause for all of the reporters  _ loitering _ outside of your apartment building.”

“Fuck them,” Noctis spat, stalking over to his window to peek between the shade slats at the  _ crowd _ obstructing traffic below his balcony. “They can say whatever they want. I just want to make sure Prompto is safe.”

Ignis nodded, and when Noctis turned away from the faint morning light streaming through his closed blinds he could see that his advisor was quickly fingering a message into his phone. “Crownsguard,” he explained when he’d looked up to see Noctis staring. “Once Prompto arrives they’re to come clear the road and take you both back to the Citadel.”

Noctis sighed, and began to pace. “You think they’ll actually leave?”

Ignis nodded, once. “Of course. I believe anyone with half a brain would move out of the way when The Marshal himself demands it. He can be very persuasive.”

Noctis jumped when his doorbell rang and, thoughtlessly, he moved to answer the door himself before Ignis placed a hand on his chest to hold him back. “Just in case,” Ignis gentled, then moved past Noctis into the entryway where he peered through the peephole. A moment later he opened the door, revealing a breathless, if haggered-looking, Prompto.

Noctis practically warped into his arms. “Are you okay?” he asked, running his hands up and down Prompto’s arms, searching for any outward sign that he’d been hassled by the crowd outside. “No one bothered you on your way up?”

“I’m fine,” Prompto murmured quietly, holding Noctis to him while he angled them through the door to allow Ignis to shut and bolt it once more. “I just ran here as soon as I was able.”

“You made good time,” Ignis added. “We’ll be leaving for the Citadel in a quarter of an hour.”

Prompto blinked, oblivious to the plan. “We will?”

Noctis pulled away from where he’d burrowed himself into Prompto’s jacket to explain. “Dad wants us close to home.”

“I’m allowed to go with you?”

Noctis opened his mouth to respond, but Ignis beat him to it with a scoff. “Of course you are. The King knows you and Noctis have been in a relationship for quite some time. He believes you would also benefit from his protection until this mess is sorted out.”

Prompto’s eyebrows practically hit his hairline as he looked down at Noctis. ‘He  _ knows _ ?’ he mouthed, and Noctis could only shrug in reply. 

He certainly hadn’t said anything directly to his father about his relationship with Prompto. When he’d called that morning, shortly after Ignis had arrived, his father had included Prompto in his order without even asking Noctis. It was something he was silently grateful for, given that he’d have to have the awkward ‘this is my boyfriend’ conversation with his dad before even telling him that he preferred men.

What a cluster.

“You’re not mad about this, are you?” Noctis asked, and Prompto held him tighter. 

“No. No way. This isn’t your fault, Noct. Having a  _ relationship _ isn’t something to be ashamed of.” Prompto tried to reassure him, bringing up a hand to run his fingers through Noctis’ hair. “This is just … stupid. It’ll blow over in a couple of days and people won’t think anything about it after.”

Noctis laughed, curling his arms around Prompto once more. “That’s positive thinking, though I doubt the news that the sole heir of the throne of Lucis is about as straight as a rainbow will blow over anytime soon. If at all.”

Prompto sighed. “Why does that even matter?”

Noctis pressed his cheek to Prompto’s chest, unwilling at that moment to tell him exactly why being able to produce heirs was  _ critical _ to the continued peace and protection the crystal afforded Lucis. Heirs of  _ his _ blood, packed with generations of magic wielding, wall building, empire deposing power so that their way of life might survive another generation. Noctis already felt ashamed that it was all going to end with him, and now  _ this _ was how the world found out - some asshole reporter who wanted his day of fame as the expense of Noctis’ autonomy.

After this, well, he wasn’t sure what his father was going to do, nevermind the opinion his advisors were sure to have on the subject. He held Prompto to him tighter, closing his eyes to the feeling of his boyfriend’s fingers slowly carding through his hair. 

“It’ll be okay, Noct,” he heard Prompto speak quietly over the rising voices on the street below.

Ignis’ footsteps tapped purposefully against his floor as he strode over to the window and speared open the blinds with his forefinger to assess the commotion. “The Crownsguard is here. We best get ready to leave.”

As if on cue, a knock sounded against Noctis’ door, obnoxiously loud and to the point. The way the door shook on its hinges, Noctis could only assume Gladio was waiting for them on the other side. 

“Honestly…” Ignis muttered to himself as he went to answer it.

Seizing perhaps his last moment alone with Prompto for some time, Noctis stepped out of his arms and gripped his hands tightly in his own. “No matter what anyone says, I love you.”

Prompto looked concerned for a minute before his expression smoothed into something resembling a peacefulness Noctis didn’t feel. “I love you too,” he replied, squeezing Noctis’ hands. “Everything will be okay. This … it might change some things, but not how I feel about you, alright?”

Noctis nodded, and Prompto leaned in to quickly kiss him before Gladio’s voice boomed through the apartment. “Let’s go, Noct! Those reporters are worse than a pack of voreteeth. Think one of em’s even drawn blood.”

“Seriously?” Prompto muttered, taking Noctis’ hand as they all filed out of the entryway and into the hall outside.

Gladio shrugged. “It’s a big deal, and seems like they’re ready to kill each other over having the first chance to speak with the prince himself.” He motioned them toward the elevator, and once they were all crammed inside Noctis’ Shield used one of the several keys hung around his neck to unlock access to the parking garage. “We’re taking an unmarked car out of here, too,” he said, catching Ignis’ eye. “Nyx has it running below while Cor mean mugs everyone topside.”

“Thank the Astrals for The Marshal,” Ignis hummed. “He’s thought of everything.”

Once they reached the parking garage they spotted the sleek, black SUV  waiting for them and hopped in. Gladio crammed himself into the back seat with Noctis and Prompto, Noctis squished between them like a grumpy marshmallow, while Ignis commandeered the passenger’s seat next to Nyx.

“Anyone need to make a stop before we get on the freeway?” he asked, not so subtly watching Prompto from the rearview mirror.

“Naw, just call us in,” Gladio ordered, not waiting for anyone else to speak.

Nyx nodded, then tapped his earpiece to alert the rest of the Citadel’s security to be ready for them. Noctis, for his part, was happy Cor had thought to send a car that would allow them passage through the city without being followed, or needing a motorcade. It would be even more embarrassing for people to think that he was slinking back to the Citadel like he’d done something wrong, following his every move, speculating about why he wasn’t making any comment to the press.

“You’re okay,” Prompto whispered beside him, grabbing his hand firmly. “We’re okay.”

 

When they arrived, Noctis and Prompto were ushered quickly from the car and brought up to King Regis’ study. Walking through the old, heavy oaken door and into the room, Noctis caught the faint whiff of cigar smoke in the air and felt himself relax a little as he stood next to Prompto. His father had never smoked to his knowledge, but the room had always smelled this way for as long as he could remember. Nights spent waiting for his father to finish his work, falling asleep on the couch in front of the television surrounded by it made him feel a little safer - a little less exposed.

When his father looked up from where he was speaking lowly with Clarus and  _ smiled _ at him, he could have sagged against Prompto with relief. Box one, checked. He  _ wasn’t _ going to be disowned for this.

“Noctis, I’m glad you made it so quickly. Breakfast was getting cold.” His father stood from behind his desk and walked over to pull him into a one-armed, yet surprisingly tight, hug. He was talking about  _ breakfast _ of all things - not the news, not his responsibility to the Caelum line. Breakfast.

Noctis’ stomach rumbled loudly. He’d been too upset to eat before when Ignis had offered, but now he thought he might be able to keep something down.

He  _ thought _ he heard Prompto laugh at his reaction before his father turned his welcoming, breakfast-offering attitude toward Prompto - at which point, his boyfriend sucked in a fortifying breath and stood ramrod straight beside him, like he was made of concrete. 

It wasn’t the first time they’d spoken. Noctis’ father had known Prompto since his first year in high school, but Prompto had confided in him that there was just something about being directly addressed by a king that made him a little nervous.

Or a lotta nervous, judging by the stiff nodd Prompto used to reply to a question his father had asked.

Clarus and Regis waited in the seating area of the study in front of the television, watching the news roll in as Noctis and Prompto picked over the small spread of breakfast foods laid out on a side table. Neither of the younger men noticed the older two watching them carefully as they squabbled over who would eat the last strip of bacon, or see a silent chuckle shake Regis’ shoulders when he overheard Prompto trying, unsuccessfully, to get Noctis to  _ try _ and eat the yellow pepper omelette without picking out half of the vegetables. 

As it was, when they were finally seated on the couch, watching the reporter cover Noctis’ story in as much overinflated depth as she was able, Noctis had lost his appetite. “Don’t they have anything better to do?” he grumbled, inching his piece of bacon over to Prompto’s side of the plate. “They’ve been talking about this for hours now.”

Regis sighed. “You know that’s just how these thing are, Noctis. What I’ve concerned about is how this story became one in the first place.” His eyes flicked over the young men on his couch, seated close enough together to make mere friendship questionable while they shared bites of food between them. 

Noctis immediately went on the defensive. “Dad, I swear, Prompto would never-”

His father held up a hand to quiet him and shook his head. “I have no doubt Prompto is able to keep every confidence.”

The blonde in question flushed at the praise, ducking his head to pop a grape into his mouth.

Noctis licked his lips, picking at a loose thread on his shirt to occupy his nervous energy. “We’ve never done anything in public at all. I know the kind of trouble stories like this cause.”

“What about other relationships?” Clarus asked. “Before you began seeing Prompto was there anyone else you were with, or who may have had an interest in you that you didn’t return? Whoever fed information to the press knew you in school, Noctis. It was part of their justification for the claim.”

Both Noctis and Prompto looked at each other, remembering that there  _ had _ been someone. They’d forgotten about him, it was so long ago.

“Primus,” they said together, then Noctis elaborated. “He was a creepy kid that always followed me around and made … weird comments.”

“He video taped us once,” Prompto elaborated, “When we stayed after school with a group to clean before break.”

“Tell me what,  _ exactly _ , he said to you,” Clarus said gently, settling in to listen to the  _ embarrassing _ mess that was Noctis’ junior year in high school. 

 

“Primus? The hell is he?” Gladio asked, stepping away from the door with a raised brow.

Ignis shook his head in reply. “I’m not sure, although we’re going to find out.”

“Yeah?” Gladio snorted. “And how’re we going to do that?”

Ignis had already begun to walk down the hallway, and savage quickness to his step that let Gladio know he was on a mission. “Easy. I have saved  _ all _ of Noctis’ yearbooks. If he matches the description of the person who leaked the information this morning in the Crownsguard report, we know who we’re looking for. Primus isn’t a terribly common name, so we’ll likely find the bastard in one of them.”

Now both of Gladio’s brows were raised. “Did you just … swear?”

Ignis paused, cocking his hip and cutting his eyes at the Shield in such a way that let him know he was being ridiculous. “Yes, Gladio. Is there another word you would use to describe the creature who would abuse Noctis in such a way?”

Gladio let out a huff of air. “Guess not. So what’re we gonna do after we find him?”

Ignis began walking again, and Gladio could almost  _ feel _ the king’s magic electrifying the air around him. “Ensure that he does not spread even more fantastical stories about Noctis for the rest of his miserable life, if he knows what’s good for him.”

Grinning, Gladio replied. “I like it. Let’s make that jealous peeping Tom regret the day he was born.”

Ignis chuckled. “With pleasure. He should know that no one meddles with  _ my _ charge and leaves unscathed.”

“Remind me to never piss you off, Iggy.”

 

 

The Crownsguard had taken Noctis’ statement on the one person he could reasonably say  _ might _ be responsible for the leak, and, just like Prompto said, everything seemed to blow over after a while. No new information came out about the story, and with nothing to chew on, reporters soon returned to covering stories about more mundane topics. 

With the situation in hand, Noctis had sat down and spoken to his father about  _ everything _ , and was surprised to find that he didn’t see Noctis’ preference of gender as particularly earth shattering. “You’re not the first member of the royal family to feel this way,” he’d said. “And you certainly won’t be the last.”

There were other, more complicated issues that they still had to wade through, of course. But for now, Noctis was simply happy that he wouldn’t have to give up Prompto - and that whoever had made his life a living hell for 24 hours had decided it wasn’t worth it.

“Do you have all of your belongings?” Ignis asked Noctis as he rounded the car. 

“Yep!”

They were heading back to Noctis’ apartment with Gladio and Prompto, keen on putting the last week behind them. There was pizza in his future, no veggies, and an all-nighter of King’s Knight where he would absolutely crush Gladio’s high score this time.

“I still don’t get how you got a scar like that from a fence,” Prompto mused, squinting at the new scar Gladio had received over his eye. “Did you like, rub your face on it or something?”

Gladio, usually so proud of his scars and the story behind them all, was strangely evasive in his reply. “I just tripped, okay?”

“Nothing to write home about,” Ignis supplied. “Accidents  _ do _ happen.”

“Still think you’re both full of shit,” Noctis teased, leaning over to poke at a stitch just above Gladio’s eyebrow. “You’re  _ hiding _ something.”

He was shoved away before he could even get near it. “Yeah yeah, we love you too, princess.”

“Don’t forget it,” Ignis chimed in.

“I’m hungry,” Prompto sighed from the back seat. “What kind of pizza are we ordering again?”


End file.
